Learning French | Comics | Humor
French-language Comic Books: Turn to them to Learn and Laugh
You will find a mix of travel, crime-fighting, history, gods, and IQ
INTRODUCTION
An investigative reporter who goes to exotic locations, a faster than his own shadow crime-stopping cowboy, a group of villagers who thwart the Roman Empire, and challenge the gods themselves, and a pretentious but gentlemanly intellectual.
These are descriptions of some of the most famous and liked French-language comic book characters. And not only are their adventures entertaining, they can also be a good resource for those of you who want to learn French. Many of these stories are also based, at least loosely, on real historical information which adds to the discerning reader’s knowledge of these things.
A NOTE ON THE COMIC BOOK SERIES DISCUSSED HEREIN
All of the examples used in this article are written in a good, “clean”, family-friendly way which makes them suitable for all ages.
And I would even go as far as describing them as being written with a more cerebral approach in mind, which includes the injection of humor throughout, rather than with a focus on graphic violence or sex, as is the case with many other printed and televised comic book series.
In other words, these are proven older franchises that I think you will find more refreshing than what is typically talked about and circulated these days, especially if you’ve never read them.
THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR STORIES
Our first character is known the world over because his adventures have been translated and published in more than 100 languages and dialects, as well as made into several animated movies and a real-life movie. His name, if you haven’t guessed it, is Tintin (French version here).
He is an intrepid investigative reporter who travels the world in pursuit of clues that will help him solve a variety of mysteries. His adventures have taken place on several continents, amid a plethora of cultures, and all the way to the moon, literally. This last excursion occurred across stories published in the early 1950s. A running joke, for fans of “Les Aventures de Tintin”, is that he was the first man to set foot on the moon ;).
Main characters found in Tintin’s adventures:
- Tintin (investigative reporter)
- Snowy (French: Milou) (dog)
- Captain Haddock (best friend)
- Thomson and Thomson (French: Dupont & Dupont) (twin brothers who are police officers)
- Professor Calculus (French: Tournesol) (scientist and inventor)
Themes that are explored in the stories:
- World travel and cultures
- Police investigations and detective work (solving mysteries)
- Spy stories
- Science-fiction
- Fantasy (mix of real and fictional lands)
- Slapstick humor, irony, and reflecting on society
- Realistic settings (clothing, etc)
Our second character exists in the world of the American Wild West. He is a cowboy who can famously shoot faster than his own shadow can keep up. (You have to admit that’s a pretty cool concept!) His name is Lucky Luke (French version here) and his adventures have been translated and published in more than 20 languages, as well as made into several animated movies and a real-life movie, just like with Tintin.
The main antagonists are the Dalton Brothers, who, although they have identical-looking heads, are differentiated by their height and IQ. The shortest brother is the smartest of the bunch, and they get increasingly stupid as their height increases, culminating in the tallest brother commonly being called “imbecile” by them.
The stories also weave in depictions of some famous historical figures who were outlaws in the old American west and even feature the notable appearance of a character made to look like actor Jack Palance who was himself famous for playing villains in Western movies.
Main characters found in Lucky Luke’s adventures:
- Lucky Luke (crime-fighting cowboy)
- Jolly Jumper (very smart horse)
- Rantanplan (very stupid prison guard dog)
- The Dalton brothers (four criminal brothers)
- Ma Dalton (the Dalton brothers’ mother)
Themes that are explored in the stories
- American Wild West
- Outlaws
- Prison escapes and wanted fugitives
RECOMMENDED VIEWING: Watch the animated movie “La Ballade Des Daltons” in French if you can. A real classic, and with a memorable soundtrack to boot.
Our third character’s adventures, which have been translated into 117 languages, take place in the year 50 B.C. He hails from a small village located in a country that used to be called Gaul, at a time when Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire have already conquered that country and the ones surrounding it. Except for our hero’s village, that is. His name is Astérix (French version here).
The series mixes historical themes and events from around that period. Humor awaits you at every corner, here. From promising Roman army military tactics that ultimately fail, to Julius Caesar’s love interest for Cleopatra, and even including our titular hero and his best friend taking part in some Olympic games to challenge the mythological Roman gods.
Main characters found in Astérix’s adventures:
- Astérix (bets and smartest fighter in the village) (pun meaning “*”)
- Obélix (best friend) (pun on “Obelisk”)
- Idéfix (dog) (pun meaning “Set in his way”)
- Panoramix (Druid/Oracle) (pun on “Panorama”)
- Abraracourcix (Village leader/chief) (pun meaning “short arm length”)
- Assurancetourix (Bard) (pun meaning “Full coverage tourist insurance”)
- Jules César (Julius Caesar)
Themes that are explored in the stories:
- Julius Caesar and the Roman empire
- Roman life
- Gladiators
- Military tactics
- Roman mythology (Hercules, Zeus, etc)
- Druids (oracles) and a magic potion
- American Natives, Vikings, The French Legion, etc
RECOMMENDED VIEWING: Watch the animated movie “Les Douzes Travaux D’Astérix” in French if you can. Another classic.
Our fourth and final character introduction is that of Achille Talon (French version here). I must warn you, however, that in order to fully appreciate this one in its original language, you will need a fairly high level of French as it is definitely more of an intellectual comic book series. The kind of text that occasionally finds itself the object of a university dissertation due to its brilliant dialogue, cultural double entenders, play on words, and such.
Considered to be erudite, Achille’s adventures take place in what looks like the Paris suburbs. He is often at odds with his neighbor, which results in frequent fights, both verbal and physical, typically in their garden, but the two also occasionally partner up for longer adventures.
Main characters found in Achille Talon’s adventures:
- Achille Talon (titular character, occasional inventor, animal lover) (pun on Achille’s Heel, but his weakness is actually his big nose)
- Hilarion Lefuneste (neighbor) (pun meaning a “grievous/fateful” person to interact with)
- La marquise (aristocratic, high social status woman) Virgule de Guillemets (love interest) (pun referring to punctuation marks (, ““)
Themes that are explored in the stories:
- Intellect
- Aristocracy
- Culture and society
- Travel
CONCLUSION
Whether you know or are trying to learn French, or even if you don’t, the adventures of the four heroes I’ve described are good fun to read and watch. It would be best to do so in French, only because humor is one of the most difficult things to translate into other languages - and sometimes it simply cannot be done - but I imagine that they would be interesting to follow in any of their offered translations as well.
Q. So… have I piqued your curiosity? Did you know any of the comic book series I’ve presented here?
All the best,
Pascal
PS: Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on what you think about the types of comic book characters and stories I’ve described, or perhaps other types you enjoy. You can also read about a very successful French-language meetup group I used to run in the US or read more about me here.
